


I See You in The Future

by YohKoBennington



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 03:43:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4690817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YohKoBennington/pseuds/YohKoBennington
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is the part of Steve that refuses to die yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I See You in The Future

**Author's Note:**

> Written for towerparty lighting hurt/comfort round and the prompt:
> 
> "I think of you and how much you mattered / When I'm torn, torn to tattered."
> 
> Which made my brain go with writing this, when I wanted to write something nice this time around /o\
> 
> Thank you to Alexisjane for the quick beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.

The world ended quietly.

Everyone had theories of how the apocalypse would come: Meteors. Global Warming. Wars. Zombies.

But the world ended in silence. The disease snaked its way through the crowd taking whole families, then towns, and finally, the cities. By the time the world's governments figured out what is was, eighty percent of the world population was already gone. As if somebody snapped their fingers, and people became dust.

The survivors were ushered into underground camps, keeping contact with the outside to the minimum.

People were scared to come out of their refuges for weeks.

By the time they were forced out to get supplies, what was left of the planet they'd known was only death and destruction.

What military was still standing took charge, and they organized groups to go through the cities, and burn the cadavers in order to stop the disease from spreading more further.

It was good for a while, until the bacteria from the dead bodies still left to be burned poisoned the soil, killing the plants and the animals that ate them, and leaving it useless to grow food again.

The water got contaminated in some parts of the planet, and those not lucky enough to realize were dead within hours.

Three months after the first outbreak, those still alive by some joke of destiny were reduced to the lowest of their basic instincts. Water, food, and shelter became gold. And people would go to any extent to get it, even killing their own families.

That was two years ago.

Steve unfolds the wrinkled map over the rusty bonnet of an SUV that has seen better days. He traces the different lines, deciding what route they should take once they're out of this town. Once he settles for the road that's most likely deserted from flesh-eaters and road hunters, Steve pulls his electronic compass and dials the coordinates.

“Are you done with that? Because I found an 'all you can eat' grocery store down the road that we should definitively raid before heading out.”

Steve folds the map and slides it into the pocket inside his jacket, before turning to face Tony. “How far down the road?”

“Five to ten minutes, give it or take.”

Steve looks at his wristwatch. “Sundown is in three hours. We need to find a place to spend the night, Tony.”

“And we also need to eat, so get your grumpy pants moving. The faster we do it, the faster we can get to that other thing,” Tony retorts, already starting to walk away, not bothering to wait for Steve.

Steve sighs.

There's a bird perching on a broken street lamp, with white feathers, and long beak tucked to its chest. Steve doesn't know what kind it is, but he's pretty sure it doesn't belong in this town. The wind perks up, spreading the dust from the streets through the cemetery of abandoned cars that once belonged to people. He can still remember the world as it was before. All the noise from people chatting as they walked down the sidewalks, while car horns blared as taxi drivers argued about the never-ending insufferable traffic of New York City. He remembers the sound of the T.V. in the background as Tony worked on one of his new projects at the kitchen counter, while Steve made dinner.

Now all of that is gone; cities and towns, ghosts of a past that never will be back. Now the only sounds in the night are the growling and moaning of the people who turned into something less than human.

Steve follows Tony into the grocery store. There are shelves after shelves of emptied cans, and presence of abandonment that every single building they ever visited lately is painted with. Tony is rummaging behind the clerks counter, and Steve can see a pile of cans neatly storage under the cash register.

“That might belong to somebody,” Steve protests.

Tony stops, and looks at him. “Your point?”

“That someone went to the trouble of hiding that, and they might come back for it.”

Tony shakes his head, a smile tugging his lips. “Steve, honey, I love that after everything that's happened you still got such a high sense of righteousness. But this is the apocalypse; survival of the strongest is what counts in this world. The people that put this together, for all we know are dead.”

He's right. Of course Tony is right. It doesn't mean Steve has to like it.

Tony must read it on his face, because he exhales wearily, scratching his forehead. “Tell you what. We’ll take only half of it. That way if anyone actually comes back for it, they'll have something to come back to. Deal?”

Now it’s Steve who can't help a smile. “Deal.”

“Good. Now get your ass moving, we gotta leave soon.”

Steve walks towards the pile, and starts packing the cans Tony as put aside for them

The sun is started to hang low on the sky by time they're walking out of the town.

 

~*~

They find shelter in an old bed of a trailer truck, with so many small holes, it serves as good ventilation for them so they don’t suffocate with the doors mostly closed.

Tony takes the arc reactor out of his backpack and puts it on the ground. It's their only source of light in night like this. A fire would attract the flesh-eaters to them in a second.

Steve still gets amazed every time he sees it. Tony built it with his own hands, and nothing but scraps. It took him three months to finish it under their precarious conditions, but he did it. And now they get to take to San Francisco, where the military base has a well equipped laboratory and Tony can use the same science behind his mini arc reactor to build one on a bigger scale that will sustain the new world.

“Dinner is ready,” Tony announces, handing a can of beans to Steve.

They eat in silence, always alert to any sounds of trouble.

“Hey, look what I found.” Tony throws something at him, that Steve only catches thanks to his fast reflexes.

Steve turns the tub, and reads the words “Vaseline” on the sticker that has seen better days. He glances back at Tony, who wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. Steve snort-laughs, leave it to Tony to find Vaseline between all the junk they pass-by during their trip.

Tony moves to straddle him, arms coming to surround Steve's neck. “What do you say, cowboy?”

Steve would be stupid to say no to his husband. He surges forward, capturing Tony's lips. Steve will never get tired of kissing Tony. How his beard will tickle his face with every movement of their lips and head. And how he has always kissed him like he’d rather be doing that, than anything else, every second of his life.

It doesn't take too long for things to heat up. Between surviving, and doing their best to get to their destination, they don't have much time for anything but a handjob or blowjob here and there.

Steve missed the way his fingers feel inside Tony, and the sweet needy sounds that escape from his mouth when he's trying to keep quiet. But the best of all is watching Tony writhing on top of him, light of the arch reactor shining on the sweat in his face, as he tells Steve how much he loves him. And he's finally inside Tony, there's nothing else but the tight heat of his husband surrounding him. There's no more apocalypse happening outside, only the sweet kisses Tony steals between the movement of his hips that send Steve back to the times where everything was normal and their lives weren't a constant worry if they would survive this ordeal at all. Steve loses himself to every sensation, painting it in his memory to keep with him forever.

When they're finally spent, and catching their breath, all Steve can think is that he wouldn't be able to survive this without Tony.

 

~*~

They are attacked while passing through an abandoned factory. Road hunters that have no qualms killing passerbys to steal anything they own. Of course, they weren't counting on Steve and Tony being armed, and soon a battle ensues. The bullets fly, as they use the rusty machines as cover. They take them down with the precision of someone who was trained by the army, and then used that training to teach his husband how to shoot.

Steve doesn’t see one of them coming from behind, gun raised and ready to give the fatal blow. And just as Steve is turning, the man shoots. Steve waits for the pain to come, but when he opens his eyes, there's nothing to feel because Tony is at his feet, holding his shoulder in pain. Before the gunman recovers from what just happened, Steve shoots him dead in the head.

“Tony, Tony, let me see,” Steve urges, pawing at Tony's chest to see where the bullet hit.

Tony grunts, letting Steve move his hand away. He looks at the wound between his shoulder and chest. “It's not that bad,” he assures, voice faint with the pain.

“Let me be the judge of that.”

“Alright, mother hen. Can we at least get out of here before you go all Florence Nightingale on me?”

Steve helps him get up, making sure Tony is keeping pressure on the wound before they start walking out of the factory.

They find an empty shed a few steps from the factory, and Steve uses their first aid kit to get the bullet out and stitch Tony's wound.

All the time, he can stop thinking how close to losing Tony that was, and his hand shake as he threads the needle through the flesh.

“Hey.” Tony stops him, placing a hand over Steve's. “I'm fine. I'm still here.”

Steve swallows, and nods, not being able to meet Tony's eyes because he'll lose his composure, and he needs to keep his head cool to finish his work.

“Steve, look at me.”

Steve does, just because he's never been able to deny anything to Tony.

“There you are.”

“Tony,” Steve chokes out.

“I know.” Tony moves him hand to cup Steve's face. “I'm still here.”

Steve nods again. This time believing it. “Okay.”

Tony smirks. “You think I'll get a cool scar?”

Steve can't help but laugh.

 

~*~

Two days later things seem back to normal, when the shit hits the fan.

They're walking what used to be an interstate, when Steve suddenly notices that Tony has stopped babbling a story about that time he and Rhodey went to a college party. When Steve looks to his side, Tony is not there anymore. He glances back, and sees Tony has stopped dead in his tracks.

“Tony?” Steve asks wary.

Tony stares at him, brows furrowed and a hand over his bullet wound. “I don't—” he starts to say before he falls on his knees.

“Tony!” Steve runs towards him, catching Tony before he falls completely on the floor. Steve pushes him upright to look at his face. That's when he feels how hot to the touch Tony is. “Tony, hey, stay with me.”

Tony mutters something, that knowing him, Steve is pretty sure must has been some smartass answer.

Steve looks him over, and wonders how he didn't notice the flush on Tony's cheeks, and the sweat drenching his shirt. “Idiot, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling okay.” Steve cups Tony's face, when Tony closes his eyes. “Hey, I told you to stay awake.”

“I'm tired,” Tony protests.

“I know. Just, stay awake for a little longer.”

Steve glances around, searching for a place where he can take Tony and check on the wound. He sees an old house far on the horizon, and decides that’s their best shot. Steve slings Tony over his shoulder like a firefighter, knowing that with the way Tony is sagging against him, there's zero chance Tony will be able to walk that far.

The house seems unstable from outside, but when Steve kicks the door open it doesn't fall to the ground. Steve finds the basement door, and chooses to go underground, in case flesh-eaters walk this way.

Someone must have thought the same because there's an old dusty mattress and supplies covering the basement walls. Steve deposits Tony on the mattress, and goes to work quickly.

The wound looks disgusting. Angry red and bruised all around, and pus coming out from some of the stitches. The infection seems pretty bad, and Steve can see they will need strong antibiotics for Tony to fight it. They don't have anything like that on their first aid kit, and after further inspection neither in the basement.

“Tony, can you hear me?”

Tony opens his eyes. “What?”

“Your wound is infected. I've got to get you some medicine.”

Tony moves to sit up, regretting it immediately by the shout of pain that escapes from him.

Steve pushes him back down. “No, you're staying here.”

Tony shakes his head. “You can't leave me here. I'm going with you.”

The desperation in his voice breaks Steve's heart. “I'll come back for you.”

“It's going to be dark soon.”

“I'll make it back before then.” Steve lies. He has no idea if the town they just passed has a clinic or hospital, and how long it will take him to find it, and find the antibiotics.

Tony fists Steve's shirt. “Steve, please, don't.”

Steve kisses him softly in the forehead. “I've got to, Sweetheart. I promise I'll come back. Trust me.”

Tony lets go of the shirt. “If you don't come back before is dark, I'll go to find you,” he threatens.

“Alright,” Steve agrees to ease Tony's worries. “You won't have to,” he assures. “I will be right back.”

 

~*~

It takes him a couple of hours to find a clinic, half an hour more to find what he's looking for. The sun is starting to set when he's running out of the town to get back to Tony.

He has to stop and hide on his way because it gets dark soon and flesh-eaters start to roam the road. But he makes it back without incident.

Tony is passed out on the mattress. To Steve he seems to look worse than before. Steve moves quickly to hook up Tony to an IV, hands shaking a little because he has no idea of what he’s is doing here. He then adds the antibiotic to the mix. He takes the antiseptic out of his bag, and cleans the wound the best he can, ignoring the grunts of pain Tony makes. He does all in his power to give Tony a chance to fight the infection.

All he has to do is wait now.

 

~*~

Steve wakes up with a start. The arc reactor's light still illuminating the inside of the trailer truck bed. He exhales, passing a hand over his sweaty face and beard. The vestiges of the nightmare still haunting him even when he's awake. Dry come still painting his hand and belly, as he sits up, and wipes it away. The memory of a night that never happened still lingering on his skin.

He takes the arc reactor, and puts it inside his backpack. The sunlight hits him right in the face when he opens the doors, and climbs down. The road is deserted; no sign that flesh-eaters were creating havoc the night before.

Steve takes his map, and checks the route. He's just about two hours from I-80. He'll finally be on Treasure Island by the end of this day. And everything he and Tony worked for will pay off for the future of humanity.

For him, the only thing left is getting the arc reactor to the island, and then he can meet Tony again.

“Now, Steve, I don't like the kind of thoughts you're having.” Tony tsks next to him.

“How would know what I'm thinking at all?”

“Because I'm inside your head, silly.”

Steve doesn't answer. He doesn't have nightmares about those couple of days where his life became Hell very often, but when he does, it's hard for him to pretend. To keep the illusion that he doesn't want to die like Tony did.

“We should stop by the next town and get something to eat. We've nothing left,” Tony continues talking.

“Yeah, sure.”

It's hard to pretend that the Tony next to him isn’t just the memory he refuses to let go of. To hear Tony talk about anything as he raids a pile of can food that must belong to someone, and when Steve feels guilty about it, hear him reason with Steve.

Tony is the part of Steve that refuses to die yet.

Between the pain of losing him in that house three months ago, and finishing what they started, Steve lost any sense of reality. He doesn't care. Steve prefers to believe Tony is still here with him. Because the reality hurts so much more, and he won't be able to keep going otherwise.

He misses Tony so much.

“Can you believe we're almost there. Finally, my feet are not too happy with all this walking Steve, I'm telling you. As soon we get there, I'm getting a massage. And a burger. They better have saved us some burgers.”

“I'm sure Rhodey saved you one.”

“Well, if it's only one, I'll share it with you.”

Steve smiles sadly. Listening to his Tony babbling about all the things he will do once they reach their destination

All the things he could have done.

As it is, all that's left is the mission. And once the arc reactor is in the hands of the scientists, Steve will be finally free.

Free to be with Tony again.

 

~Fin~

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading ♥


End file.
